Bon Voyage
[2014.02.26]
After 2 years from her previous studio release, Japonesque and a short "break" due to her pregnancy, Kumi comes back with a new album. My expectations were high; after 3 almost perfect albums in a row (Trick-UNIVERSE-Dejavu) and a quite good Japonesque, Bon Voyage had to live up to those standards.
Near the end of 2012, Kumi released two good singles: Go To The Top and Koishikute before going on tour. After the end of the Japonesque Tour it didn't take much time for Kumi to start the promotion of her new single Summer Trip which, despite being quite good, it sounded a bit confusing and chaotic for the too many music genres in it. Dreaming Now was a more focused and strong single but after that there was no winter single and the promotion was quite scarce...
Bon Voyage then born under uncertain circumstances but at the end of the day...let the music do the talkin!
Here's my personal Bon Voyage Track-By-Track review:
01. Introduction ～ Bon Voyage～ The album starts with a very urban intro following the latest american music trends...it's a pity that the actual album is going to take too many musical directions without a cohesive sound. The production here is amazing 9/10
02. SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA is a strong, upbeat rnb song and it sounds...AMAZING! I think it sounds so Jenifer Lopez but at the same time it has a typical J-Pop melody. I fell in love with this track immediately and it's definitely one of the album's highlights! 10/10
03. LOADED Feat. Sean Paul is quite different from what I was expecting from this collaboration. I like Sean Paul's style but their voices don't blend so well together and the song results a bit messy and overproduced. Nevertheless, I like the sound of LOADED, the bridge is amazing and vocals are crazy! A filler but a cool and summery one 6/10
04. Winner Girls is a pleasant surprise: it's groundbreaking, catchy and well produced. It has that J-Pop melody which I always love in a Kumi's song. The track follows the same sound of SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA and it's GOOD, really great song! 9/10
05. Imagine is a strong pop ballad with a rich production and a beautiful chorus. The melody is simple and overall, the song is nothing special but it's still something different from her usual power ballads. Imagine is very sweet and I bet that the live version is going to sound awsome 7/10
06. Koishikute is an elegant song with a beautiful melody but vocals feel excessive. It's the same old Kumi's piano ballad so it's nothing new and a tad predictable. I also have to say that this single was a bit too old by the time Bon Voyage came out so I think it's a bit out of place here 6.5/10
07. LALALALALA was the 2013 summer single and it's fun, catchy and has a fresh pop-rock production. I feel that this song was just a simple summer treat and it shouldn't have made the final cut. I think that LALALALALA doesn't reach Kumi's quality standards despite being enjoyable 6/10
08. Let's Show Tonight is a mystery to me...it lasts just for 1:21 minutes but it could have been the best song on this album but apparently it's just a silly interlude, dope anyway 8/10
09. Interlude ～Bon Voyage～ is one of Kumi's best interludes! It perfectly matches the burlesque and sailor themes of the whole Bon Voyage album concept, easily Kumi's best interlude ever! Musically, I think it's the peak of the album 10/10
10. TOUCH DOWN is a great song which experiments by mixing hip hop and rock for an explosive result! The bridge is the only weak part but the rest of the song smokes! 9/10
11. CRANK THA BASS Feat. OVDS wants to be a daring and edgy song but I think the featuring is a fail. I love how Kumi can play with her voice going from weird sounds to more mainstream and pop zones. Overall, what really brings down CRANK THA BASS is the bridge full of annoying vocals, the rest of the song is bold and works extremely well. Without the rap part it could have been one of Kumi's best experiments 7.5/10
12. LOL is a simple dance track with an aggressive production. The chorus is weird with a not so obvious melody, which is great! The recipe is quite predictable tho: a heavy beat, great vocals...it lacks a powerful bridge which could have made the song even better. The production is pretty basic but LOL, despite being one of the wekest songs on the album, brings the house down anyway, simple party anthem! 6/10
13. Go To The Top is an explosive mix of electronic sounds and rock elements with hip hop and dubstep details. The production is edgy but at the same time it flows easily and it's enjoyable. The chorus is catchy and the overall melody is great. Personally, the only downside to me is the dubstep (I don't like this genre) bridge but it's well done. Go To The Top is one of my Kumi's favourite song but as for Koishikute, I think it was too old by the time Bon Voyage came out and, again, it sounds out of context 10/10
14. Dreaming Now is a moving and inspiring pop song with a beautiful melody and a simple production but it's all so perfectly packaged with great lyrics and amazing vocals that the song really shines! The bridge dares to be different and brave and adds that extra twist which explodes in the final chorus. Many fans think that Dreaming Now is too commercial but I personally feel that this is one of her best pop songs, the video is amazing as well 8/10
15. On Your Side is a fresh pop song with lots of positive energy. The production and the melody are simple and clean but the beautiful chorus makes this song shine more than you could think. It's still something new for Kumi and it's adorable 8/10
16. U KNOW is a generic pop song, overproduced yet catchy. The beat is directly taken from Cher's Woman's World while the chorus is very similar to One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful. I don't like when Kumi tries to sound so westernized without then promoting her music outside of Japan. In the end, the song sounds more like a bonus track; it's fun and full of energy but it stays in a comfort and basic zone. It's still very enjoyable thanks to the effective melody and the incredibly good chorus, a sweet pop gem 6.5/10
Overall, there aren't ugly songs whatsoever on Bon Voyage! The album is easy listening: it's catchy and immediate, it features powerful songs such as SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA, Winner Girls, TOUCH DOWN, Dreaming Now and the intro/interlude which, in my opinion, are the album's highlights.
At the same time, there are some songs that are just good and don't make a big impression and also a couple of weird moments like CRANK THA BASS which I think is a failed experiment or Let's Show Tonight which has a tremendous potential but it just teases us with its ridiculous lenght.
The biggest flaw on Bon Voyage is its musical disorder and the lack of a cohesive sound. Then I didn't like the presence of old singles like Go To The Top and Koishikute which negatively affects the tracklist. Kumi has always taken chances and experimented with many sounds but if on albums like Feel Your Mind, Best Second Session, Kingdom and Trick she managed to stick to mostly one specific sound I can't say the same for this Bon Voyage.
On the contrary, it follows the same recipe of UNIVERSE and Japonesque which consisted in sounding more like a greatest hits rather than a new original album. UNIVERSE was justified by the fact that it was conceived as a celebration album for her 10th year in the business but the problem was bigger on Japonesque which was too long and inconsistent, same problem that I found here on Bon Voyage, although I have to say in minor proportion.
Bon Voyage debuted at #1 on the Weekly Oricon Chart with just 46,091 copies prooving that also in Japan physical sales have dropped considerably. It has now sold approximately 60,000 physical copies.
As an album, due to its not so cohesive sound and some filler material, Bon Voyage doesn't reach TRICK or Dejavu creative standards but thanks to its honesty in showcasing Kumi's personality and its upbeat charm, it's still damn good, one of Kumi's best works!
Bon Voyage: 8/10
